The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-12
CAREER OF A CORRESPONDENT.

An Old Journalist Tells the story OF
Henry Wizards Career-whiteiAw Reid
Simulta neously with the transfer of the
Dutch Castle" which Henry Willard built
in this city, to Whitelaw Reid Of The Tri-
bune, the former reappears in New York as
agent of o syndicate Of German bankers,
who have employed him To make invest
ments here on q wholesale scale. The con
Germs of these two men have been remarka-
BILE and they have been simultaneous and
almost on the same fields / first knew Vii
lard in 1851, in Kentucky. where he had
gone as a New York Herald correspondent,
with the idea Of establishing . Herald bureau
in Richmond. His earthly POSSESSIONS at
that time were his salary and his audaeity.
He employed the latter in proposing 70 Gen.
Tecumseh Sherman his plan OF serving The
Herald in the south, and was told that he
attempted to cross the lines into the Con-
federacy he would be shot a spy. There
upon Willard got out of Sherman's depart
ment and published the story that Sherman
was crazy. He made another attempt when
Gen. Buell. was in command of the depart
ment, but never succeeded. As late as 1868
he was Tribune correspondent.
i heard little or nothing Of him after that
until about 1870. when he was getting up
guide book for emigrants to this country.
He had little money then. His accumula-
tion of several millions-in bonds and other
paper-must have been made between 1875
and 1888. Ii had all to he surrendered ex-
cept the Dutch castle" he had given his wife,
and for which Mr.. Reid has just paid about
500, ,OO0-about half the cost of the unfinished
structure
/ originally met Mr. Reid shortly after my
first encounter with Willard 1t was before
Corinth, and he was there rs . war CORE
spondent. He had some property in Ohio
and owned some stock in The Cincinnati Ga
zstte but l fancy his pay As q correspondent
more than equaled his income from other
sources. He was w Washington correspondent
of the same paper after the close of the war
and until about 1867 when he became an edi-
torial writer on The New York Tribune He
bought some of its stock at the time. On the
expulsion of John Russell Young Reid be
came managing editor. After the death OF
Horace Greeley, whose brain had succumbed
at the almost simultaneous loss Of his wife,
his defeat for the presidency and the knowl-
edge that The Tribune had been sold to VIII
liam Orton and a syndicate of capitalists,
who wished To make Schuyler Colfax the edi-
tor, Mr. Reid showed me a check for $40, 900
paid him for four shares OF stock, and which,
he said represented his dissolution with The
Tribune.
suppose Reid is worth 81 ,OOO, 900 or more,
which he has made since 1877 by personal in
vestments. Unlike the meteoric Willard, he
has managed to keep it all in secure invest
Inents. There was another thing in which
the two men were in direct contrast. Reid
had a very delicate constitution and had to
take care of it, and at ~ he Is strong and
healthy, if not robust. Willard was Of mag
ni6cent physique and hardy constitution He
has used them roughly, and at 30 he has by
no mean, the health he once euioyed.-WiI-
liam F. G. Shanks in Chicago Herald.